China's Wing Loong I-D with complete composite fuselage makes successful maiden flight

BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- China's domestically-developed Wing Loong I-D, the latest member of the Wing Loong unmanned aerial system (UAS) family, has successfully completed its maiden flight, announced its developer Sunday.

The Wing Loong I-D took to the sky from an airport in western China on Sunday afternoon. After 30 minutes of flying, it completed the maiden flight, said the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

Wing Loong I-D is China's first-of-a-kind UAS, whose fuselage is built with complete composite material. It is a newly-developed long-endurance UAS that is capable of functioning with high performance, at medium altitude and on multiple missions.